KHS student practices with Olympians

Kennett High School senior Devon Salasin took advantage of an extraordinary opportunity to train alongside world-class skiers and Olympians in Vail, Colorado.

Earlier this year Devon competed in a series of 16 statewide Alpine ski races (at 8 different venues throughout Pennsylvania). She won the coveted Governor’s Cup and earned recognition as the Pennsylvania State Champion (among women under 18), elevating her to the top spot on the Pennsylvania State Team and earning her an invitation to the 2013 Junior Olympics held last March in Stowe, Vermont. While she fell short of qualifying for the Olympic team, her performance was, nonetheless, a huge accomplishment.

Partly in recognition of this accomplishment, and with the encouragement of her ski coaches, Devon was asked to train with the students from Mount Mansfield Academy (Stowe, Vermont). The training occurred over 12 days in Vail, Colorado, in late November at a time when several Olympic champions and world-class competitors were skiing the same hill and could be observed for technique and style.

In addition to athletic conditioning and technical skill development, there was ample time carved out of every day for schoolwork and academic instruction.

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Asked about her training opportunity, Devon said, “It was wonderful to get on the snow early to train for ski season. The highlight of my trip was meeting and skiing with Mikaela Shiffrin who is only 18 and is skiing on the World Cup Circuit.”

Shiffrin, from Eagle-Vail, Colorado, later qualified to the 2014 Olympic Ski and Snowboard Team. She is an eight-time World Cup slalom medalist, having won four gold and four bronze medals.

Devon has been supported in her skiing endeavors by her parents, John and Roseann Salasin of Landenberg.